This inventor builds upon Applicant's previous invention now U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,674, which is incorporated herein by reference. As previously noted people spend a lot of time reading in bed and suffering from muscle fatigue in the arms and hands, some of which may be due to medical conditions, preventing the user from holding a book upright for extended periods. In the late 1980s the inventor created a device which rests on the abdomen of the reader, allowing their arms and hands to be rested, and does not require installation of the device into the wall, ceiling or bed.
Book stands are currently available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Current stands have a number of drawbacks, particularly those designed for reading in bed. These must typically be affixed to the bed or a nearby wall, and involve metal “arms” which hover over the reader. These suffer from the difficulty of installation, are bulky and unsightly, and occupy excessive space, are difficult to adjust, and cannot support a variety of sizes of books or reading materials, especially larger books.
The user of the present invention rests the invention on her chest or abdomen, inserts the open book between the plexiglass plate and the back panel described herein below, and reads “through” the plexiglass, including the top edge thereof, to see the printed material. The plate is not so large as to cover the entire printed page(s), reducing the size and weight of the invention and making it highly portable and storable.